It is the 16th day of Lamashan in the year 4717 AR. The city of Vigil, capital of the nation of Lastwall, has come under attack from within. Watcher-Lord Ulthun II and a sizable portion of Vigil’s army are absent as they attempt to clear the Fangwood of a rising orc threat. In his absence, the Precentors Martial have done little to stem the tide of crime and violence within the city, instead tasking Venture-Captain Evni Zongnoss of the Pathfinder Society and Second Sword Knight Aylunna Varvatos with handling the situation. Low on resources and support, the two decide to form a volunteer militia dubbed the White Lion Relief Corps, named in honor of the Goddess Iomedae.

Even as volunteers pour in, the tide of crime continues unabated. You have joined the cause, each for your own reasons, and are immediately tasked with investigating a late night break-in at the local blacksmith shop known as Berdred’s Armory. As you make your way hurriedly toward the shop, one member of your group, Ranna Koss, grows inwardly concerned about her parents who were helping with a late night delivery for Berdred and were not seen at home that morning.

Berdred, a human woman with short, black hair and a gritty leather apron stands impatiently at the front door when you arrive. Broken crates litter the ground just outside the doorway. Both doors hang loose off their hinges and shards of glass lie scattered on the ground beneath a broken window. You immediately set about questioning Berdred and investigating the site around the armory. You discover the following:

Inside the store, the main room has been trashed, with display cases and shelves lying broken on the floor, and Berdred’s wares strewn about. Traces of blood indicate a struggle took place, and evidence suggests someone may have hidden behind the counter. In the forge room, a rope hangs from an open ventilation window. Berdred informs you the rope is not hers and the window is supposed to be closed at night. Her apprentice Laurel closed last night as Berdred had business at the Trades Tribune Hall. As far as Berdred can tell, nothing is missing, but she hasn’t had a chance to go through everything yet. She seems to think orcs were involved.

While Ranna races home to check in on her parents, the rest of you decide to canvas the area and talk to the locals. You reconvene a few hours later to share information. Ranna reports her parents are indeed missing, and she spoke to Berdred’s apprentice Laurel who said she was approached by a woman in a mask with an offer of 50gp to leave the ventilation open. The mysterious woman’s voice was muffled, but she was tall and thin, and wore a dark cloak.

Vale learned the local dockmaster, a man named Krilbuk, recently hired some half-orcs. Tarn discovered there is a new shopkeeper in town who has some symbols of Calistria on display in his store, the Wonderful Lamp. It is also rumored the owner of the Legendary Playhouse, a young woman name Sharina Legend-Singer, secretly worships Calistria. Thark and Alyssa heard rumors of recent strange activity near some abandoned warehouses by the docks.

You decide to check out the Wonderful Lamp first. When you arrive, a pair of colorfully dressed figures stand out front as though guarding, and the window blinds have been drawn. The two men are identical in appearance, each with umber skin and elaborately designed robes. You approach them and attempt to question them, with Vale taking point. They don’t respond to your initial queries, and after trying several languages, Vale loses patience and orders you to attack them. The two men are defeated after a brief skirmish, but their bodies burst into dust and leave behind only a pile of ash.

Tarn knocks on the door. A man of similar ethnic bearings answers the door somewhat timidly. He seems nervous, but when Vale insists he allow you to search his office, he lets you in. Thark goes first, and finds four men inside who look the same as the guards except for one who wears different attire. A battle occurs during which the fourth figure slips out the back, leaving no trace of his departure. As the remaining men are defeated, they too turn to piles of ash.

The shop owner, a man named Rashid, thanks you for your efforts and explains he is a simple merchant from Katapesh. Rashid explains he left his home to escape a murderous rival, but fears he has been followed. In return for your help, he agrees to assist your efforts. You offer him the piece of torn cloth discovered at the armory and he uses it to scry on the owner with a crystal ball. He produces an image of a woman and a man you recognize as Sharina Legend-Singer and her partner Gha’zali.

Armed with new information, you make your way to the Legendary Playhouse where Sharina and Gha’zali are in the process of running a dress rehearsal for a new play named the Rogueries of Dalilah. After talking to her, it’s clear Sharina is hiding something. She agrees to come in for questioning, but insists Gha’zali remain at the playhouse. You bring her to the Whispering Lodge and hand her over to Captain Zongnoss with the information you have gathered. Evni takes her for questioning, but returns in short order with Sharina and lets her go. Evni seems mildly annoyed and suggest you check out other leads or gather more concrete evidence.

Discouraged but undaunted you decide to try your luck at the docks. Vale spots a piper playing cheerful music for a group of children. As she approaches, the children scatter. Jelks greets her and after a brief discussion suggests she try talking to a dwarf named Disga who is known to hang out at the Drakkar in the evenings. She tends to have useful information for sale. The rest of you run into a disgruntled looking ship captain named Captain Quinius. He explains the river has grown dangerous of late and gripes about not having enough protection, but otherwise has no useful information.

Vale catches up, and together you approach the dockmaster. He introduces himself as Krilbuck, and seems defensive when asked about his half-orc hirelings, but he vouches for their whereabouts the night before. He points out where the abandoned warehouses are, then Vale bribes him to get a look at his logs, which show the delivery for Berdred was handed off to her assistants shortly after midnight.

You wait until evening before investigating the warehouses. You find one with lights on inside and decide to check it out. The door is locked, but Ranna manages to pick it, and you head inside. You are attacked by more of the strange clones, but are able to defeat them. Similar to before, their bodies turn to ash. A search of the crates reveals many of the stolen objects from around the city in addition to equipment for spelunking and mining. Some of the crates are empty, but appear ready to be filled with more stolen loot.

You return to the Whispering Lodge to inform Evni of your find then make your way to the Drakkar, eager to continue the search as Ranna’s concern for her parents grows. There, you overhear gossip regarding the latest crimes, some of which sound exaggerated. While you wait for Disga to arrive, Tarn enters a fighting pit and offers a challenge. He fights and defeats a large man, but is nearly knocked out himself. Disga soon arrives, and you make your way over to her. After the exchange of a few coins, Disga informs you she saw some mysterious cloaked figures making their way to the Legendary Playhouse less than an hour ago.

You return to the playhouse. Thark races up the steps and falls into a pit trap. He expands himself and climbs out, but you all agree to approach more cautiously. You slip your way in cautiously, managing to avoid more traps, and make your way into the auditorium. Two of the strange clones come from behind the scenery panel and attack. You defeat them. Thark and Alyssa climb onto the stage and fall through another trap to a room below. The rest of you find a prop room with some interesting items (Vale and Tarn each grab something) then make your way downstairs the more traditional way — by using stairs.

You defeat two more clones and unlock the door to where Thark and Alyssa are trapped. You search the lower level, but there’s no sign of Sharina. Ranna discovers a hidden door beyond which lies an elegantly decorated living space. You discover Ranna’s parents in a majestic four-post bed, and soon Gha’zali appears, seemingly out of nowhere. With a worried look upon his face, Gha’zali explains Sharina has been breaking in to places around the city as part of her research for the main role of her latest play. He insists she hasn’t stolen anything or hurt anyone, but when she broke into Berdred’s Armory the night before, she was joined by the real thieves. While she hid behind the counter, she overheard the thieves discussing an attack on the Whispering Lodge, but they were interrupted by Ranna’s parents arriving with the shipment. The thieves attacked Ranna’s parents, but Sharina and Gha’zali intervened and brought the injured couple back to the playhouse where they could recuperate. Just a short time ago, Sharina went to the lodge in the hopes of stopping the thieves, but hasn’t yet returned.

Recalling that Evni is likely to be at the town meeting near the Cathedral, you race back to the lodge. The bodies of two guards lie dead at the entrance, their throats slit. Inside, all is quiet and dark. You find another guard near death in the corridor, but after feeding him a healing potion, he is revived. His name is Franklin, and he informs you they were attacked by strange clones led by a wizard in fancy clothes. Sharina was there, and she tried to help, but he didn’t see what happened after he was knocked out.

Streaks of blood and smashed furniture in the library indicate a mighty struggle, but there is no sign of Sharina save for a signet ring etched with an elaborate “S”. One section of shelf, clearly a concealed door, lies open to reveal a second library. Within, books lie scattered upon the floor, but there is no one inside. After a brief examination, you decide it’s likely the thieves found whatever it was they came for and left, possibly with Sharina as a hostage.

You leave the lodge, make your way to the Cathedral to inform of Evni of your latest discoveries before returning to the Playhouse to retrieve Ranna’s parents.

The next day, you reconvene and seek out Evni. She informs you there were some books stolen detailing the history of the local salt hills, but nothing else. Sharina remains missing. You show her the ring you found, and she agrees it could belong to Sharina. She suggests you return to Rashid to see if he can scry for her again, and asks that you check in with Berdred.

You return to the Wonderful Lamp, but it appears closed. You break in, and discover Rashid and his crystal ball are missing. You search through his things and discover a strange note in his desk. The note reads:

Master,

I have located the hidden entrance as requested, but it is protected by a guardian who requires a living sacrifice for the Hunter’s Moon. We have no such fodder here. Please advise.

–Rimay

Checking in with Berdred, you learn all her stuff was returned except for a simple signet ring made of brass shaped as interwoven vines. She found it near Ghostlight Marsh during her squire days. She doesn’t think it has any value, but suggests local historian Ren Dendarvi might know more.

You make your way to the Wizard’s Guild to meet with Ren Dendarvi, who proves to be an older man with a long silver beard. Happy to provide information, Ren identifies the missing ring as belonging to an ancient druidic circle known as the Council of Thorns. The druids of this circle sacrificed themselves in Ghostlight Marsh to stem the tide of an advancing orc army. They subsequently turned into will-o-wisps. An elf druid named Silvermane who lives in the town of Trunau in Belkzen is believed to be the last surviving member, but he’s a mute and not much is known about him. When asked about the salt hills, he explains the mines there have been abandoned for years, and are rumored to be haunted by undead.

He uses the ring found in the lodge to scry for Sharina and discovers her tied to a stone table in a dungeon, but can’t provide a precise location. You thank him for his time and ask that he send a message to Silvermane to ask him to speak with you. You return to the lodge to report to Evni.

Evni Zongnoss – (female gnome) – Venture Captain of the Pathfinder Society. Evni Zongnoss represents the Pathfinder Society in the city of Vigil and runs the Whispering Lodge. She is your primary contact and overseer of the White Lion Relief Corps.

Berdred Leredel (female human) – Owner and proprietor of Berdred’s Armory. She provides armor and shields she and her apprentices craft by hand. She was once a squire to a famous knight in the war against the orcs of the Hold of Belkzen. Employs Ranna’s parents and is grateful for the help you provided in regards to her break-in.

Sharina Legend-Singer (female human) – Owner of the Legendary Playhouse, she is a dusky-skinned woman of immense talent who took over the theater from her late father. She was found to be involved in a string of break-ins around town she was using as “research” for her latest play. Was later captured by Cassim and Rashid and nearly executed at Fort Hammer Rock. You rescued her, though she remains somewhat aloof.

Gha’zali (male janni) – Sharina’s assistant and likely lover. Helps run the Legendary Playhouse. He protected Ranna’s parents after they were knocked out at the armory the night of the robbery. He is grateful for your assistance in rescuing Sharina from her dangerous escapades.

Rashid Al-Haroud (male human) – A recently arrived traveling merchant who bought a local bookshop and turned it into a store for treasure maps, historical tomes and curiosities known as the Wonderful Lamp. His appearance and attire suggest he is a Keleshite. 

Cassim Abdullah (male human) – Apparent leader of a new gang of thieves.

Silvermane (male elf) – Mute druid who lives in Trunau. Believed to be the last surviving member of the Circle of Thorns.

Lady Aylunna Varvatos of the Cathedral of Sancta Iomedae has requested your assistance. She has the note you found at the Wonderful Lamp, and is gravely concerned about its meaning. Rimay Fairbanks is a cleric of Iomedae stationed at a fort along the Path River known as Fort Hammer Rock. The fort, manned by a skeleton crew of just a handful of soldiers, Rimay and a commander named Thilbore, is used to keep watch on orc movement in the Hungry Mountains of Ustalav.

A few weeks ago, a young acolyte named Orics Graymark was sent to Hammer Rock to learn under Rimay’s tutelage. This letter, and a lack of recent correspondence from Orics, has Lady Aylunna concerned, and she asks you to investigate. You agree, and with the use of some horses borrowed from the Whispering Lodge, you set out along a road running east along the southern bank of the Path River.

By mid-day, the skies turn gray and rain begins to fall. By evening you reach a small piece of forest and decide to camp the night.  During the night, you are awakened by flaming arrows fired upon your camp from the opposite bank. As you scramble to avoid the arrows, you spot a dark figure upon a horse watching from the far bank, but before you can investigate further you are attacked by a pair of orcs and wolves from behind. After defeating them, you scan the area across the river, but there no further signs of the dark rider or of further attack so you decide to depart.

By morning, you arrive at a small dock along the river as light rain turns to downpour. A signpost marked “Hammer Rock” points up a dirt path. You follow this up the hill to a once-whitewashed, pallid gray fort. Four towers rise along the northern face of the fort, overlooking the river. A set of iron gates stand open, but a flash of lightning reveals a large barn near a grove of fruit-bearing trees to the right. You approach the barn and take note of the wilting vegetation surrounding it. The front doors are closed, and large cross beam has been placed across them. You remove the cross beam and open the doors. Immediately, a horse with decaying flesh reeking of death leaps from within and attacks. After a difficult battle, you are able to defeat the creature. Rufus identifies it as a zombie horse. You search inside the barn, but find only a several-day old corpse of a soldier. You leave the barn, and scan the orchard. There are shapes within that appear to shamble like zombies. You decide to ignore them for now and investigate the fort.

You slip through the main entrance, and immediately the portcullis slams shut behind you and a gust of cold wind snuffs out the torches hanging upon the wall of the left-right corridor. A throaty growl emanates from your left, and suddenly an ogre charges from the darkness and attacks. Though you take some damage, you soon realize the ogre is nothing more than an illusion, and both it and your wounds disappear. You move farther into the fort, following the corridor around the outer edge until you come to a small set of steps leading down into a short corridor where you find a barracks and prison area. Here you experience a disconcerting vision of bloody handprints on the walls. You move next into a grand hall where a spot of great coldness threatens to overwhelm Ranna. Searching the hall, however, you come across an ancient tablet etched with a map of a temple.

Exhausted from your efforts, you search for a way out. You open the door to one of the towers and discover a soldier hanging from the rafters having killed himself. A quick check suggests he was the commander. You make your way passed him and up to the top of the tower, then use a rope to climb down. You clean out the barn and spend an uneventful night there.

The next morning the portcullis is raised once more, and you head back inside. This time the lights don’t go out. Attached to the great hall is a short corridor containing several bedrooms, inside one of which is a man matching the description of Orics Graymark. He is sleeping, and a half-eaten apple lays near one hand. You examine him and discover he’s suffering from filth fever. Upon waking him, he asks for an apple from the orchard, which he claims will cure him.

You make your way out to the orchard where you confirm the presence of zombies who appear to have once been the guards stationed at the fort. Vale casts Ghost Sound to draw them away while you grab some apples. You return to Orics who eats one of the apples and almost instantly seems to improve.

Orics explains he works for Rimay, but she has seemed strange of late. He and Commander Thilbore were attacked by zombies a few days ago. Orics was bitten, and Thilbore went to get an apple but never returned. He also states he has felt an evil presence in the chapel recently. Before investigating the chapel, you decide to let Orics prepare spells and do a little more investigating. Tarn finds the kitchen and makes some ham and eggs. Once everyone is ready, you make your way to the chapel.

The entrance to the chapel is barred with a set of crossed beams. Written in blood upon the door are the words “DO NOT OPEN”. Undeterred by such trivial warnings, you remove the beams and open the door. Inside, the austere chapel is lit by flickering candles built into the whitewashed walls. Huge stained-glass windows rise high upon the walls. A tapestry, torn and shredded, hangs above a large altar at the front of the chapel where a woman with short red hair kneels before the altar, flanked by four robed figures.

The woman rises and turns to face you, and Orics identifies her as Rimay Fairbanks. She appears normal, and approaches with a smile, welcoming you. Tarn shows her the letter signed by her, but she claims never to have seen it. Rufus, not so convinced by her act, tears off the hoods of one of the silent guards to reveal the face of a zombie. Both guards hiss and attack while Rimay flees through a hole beneath the altar by pulling on a lever. Tarn suffers a nasty bite from the zombies and finds himself moving more slowly than usual.

You chase Rimay through the hole and find yourself in an old vault with lead sheets lining the walls and arcane runes inscribed on the stone. Rimay is gone, but a large iron door offers the only visible exit. You manage to pull the door open with some effort and climb a short set of steps into a room where the walls are dotted with scorch marks and scratches. A pile of bones and debris fill one corner and strange moans emanate from the floor. Suddenly, strange spectral forms of a dozen disembodied heads emerge from the floor and scream at you with impossibly distended jaws. Just as quickly as they appeared they vanish, leaving you shaken but resolute.

You continue your exploration of the maze of passages beneath the fort using the stone tablet as your guide. Additional haunts temporarily slow you, and you avoid one room filled with magical darkness altogether. The central chamber, however, is closed off, and the door sealed. Thark attempts to smash it down, but quickly concludes it will take too long. As you search for another way, Thark walks near a snake statue which attacks him. Though taken by surprise, Thark is able to dispatch it.

You next enter a room with four pillars etched with a variety of symbols that can be pressed and a locked door. Unsure what the markings mean, you press on. Thark decides to check out the dark room and experiences a vision of an army of orcs charging him. As he does so, the rest of you are taken by surprise as a machine with three legs appears and attacks. You destroy it and take from it a brass key. Still feeling bold, Thark enters a room with a murky pool. He sends his psi-crystal in, but it is grabbed by skeletal arms and dragged to the bottom. Before he can consider whether or not to try diving in after his psicrystal, he is attacked by some kind of invisible foe and injured.

Unable to locate the cause of the attack, and deeming the psicrystal safe for the moment, you take the brass key to the main door leading into the central chamber and use it to open the door. The chamber beyond has an angled ceiling rising up to thirty feet at the center. Atop a stepped dais is a gargantuan humanoid skull glowing with an eerie blue light. Within the skull’s mouth lies an ivory tube with a glass lens on either end.

Orics investigates the strange skull, and receives a nasty shock for his troubles that knocks him unconscious. You stabilize him and leave him to rest while you continue your search. You discover additional strange hauntings in various rooms plus a jade idol, a book written in dwarven and a statue of a Dwarf with a light hammer and a heatless statue. In another room, you find Rimay and four zombies, but decide not to engage.

Upon returning to the pillared room, you press symbols related to various things found in the temple (beetle, hammer, spyglass, and symbol of Droskar) and the previously locked door opens. Inside the room is an altar upon which lies the unconscious form of Sharina, bound and gagged. Six skeletal figures rise from a pool of boiling blood in front of the altar and move to attack while tipping over braziers of hot coals. They gain the upper hand, knocking out most of your party and sending Rufus fleeing in terror.  You change tactics by luring two of them into the pillared room and closing the door. You finish them off, and Orics arrives with potions of healing to help those who fell in battle.

Vale wants to go after Rufus, but acquiesces to a brief rest. You soon discover Rufus was taken, and track him to the room where you found Rimay. She holds him captive with a dagger to his neck and warns she’ll kill him if they enter. Vale tries to negotiate his release, but is unsuccessful and decides to attack. Rimay slits his throat before you can reach, but you slay Rimay to avenge his death.

You return to the pillared room determined to rescue Sharina, and concerned by Orics’ belief the destroyed skeletons may rise again soon. You open the door to the temple and leap to the attack, quickly dropping two more skeletons. Orics suddenly faints, his skin wrinkling as though aging decades in a matter of moments. Vale gets struck with the same effect and flees the room.

You drop the remaining skeletons and Tarn rushes to free Sharina. The shimmering image of a ghostly Dwarf appears and orders Tarn to “drop her”. Tarn refuses and darts passed the ghost, who moves to intercept but is slowed by Thark. The ghost drops Thark, but Vale discovered an exit to the orchard and managed to clear a path by redirecting some wandering zombies. Tarn races for the exit with Sharina. The ghost shrieks with rage and terror then flees from the light.

Tarn returns and helps bring the unconscious bodies of your companions out to the orchard, and you spend some time resting. Later, a few of you return to the temple to help Thark retrieve his psi-crystal before leaving the area for good with Orics and the now conscious Sharina in tow.

Lady Aylunna Varvatos (female human) – Second Sword Knight and religious leader at the Cathedral of Sancta Iomedaea for the last 10 years. Asked you to investigate Fort Hammer Rock after the mysterious letter from Rimay Fairbanks and loss of communication from Orics Greymark. 

Dark Rider (unknown) – Appeared briefly on the other side of the river during an ambush on the party. Seemed to be in charge of the orcs.

Rimay Fairbanks (female human) – Cleric of Iomedae stationed at Fort Hammer Rock. Was corrupted by dark forces and turned into a Huecuva. She killed Vale’s butler Rufus, and was subsequently slain herself by the party.

Orics Greymark (male human) – An acolyte of Iomedae sent to Fort Hammer Rock to study under the tutelage of Rimay Fairbanks. Was found inside Commander Thilbore’s room extremely ill. Was revived by a magical apple from the orchard and assisted in destroying the undead abomination Rimay Fairbanks had become.

Thilbore Dene (male human) – Commander of Fort Hammer Rock. Was found hanging from inside one of the towers.

Khosrau (male dwarf ghost) – A ghost who haunts the temple beneath Fort Hammer Rock. Remains at large, but was unwilling or unable to exit the temple.

You grab a cart, hitch it to the horses and head out for Vigil, stopping to camp as night sets in. Vale offers to spend the night keeping watch so everyone can rest. She hears the distant sound of war drums approaching and a thick mist settles over the camp from the east. Sensing danger, she awakens the group.

Thark sends his psi-crystal to scout. It discovers an encampment of orcs on the way to Vigil and a scouting party of five orcs approaching your position. You ambush the orcs, killing three and capturing a fourth. The last flees. You take the unconscious orc and begin heading east for Hallein Town to seek help.

Along the way, you come across an overturned wagon covered with overgrown weeds, dead bodies and spilled salt. The bodies appear to have been artificially aged. As you examine the wreckage, you hear the sounds of something passing by on the river. Under cover of the mist, you sneak to the edge of the water and witness a large keelboat crawling with hunchbacked humanoids with frog-shaped heads and powerful-looking tridents. A robed figure, tall and straight, stands at the prow.

Confident the boat is headed for Vigil, you wait for them to get out of earshot then continue your march east along the river.

When you arrive at Hallein Town, it seems at first to be deserted. You leave Orics, Sharina and the tied up Orc in the cart and approach the dock area on foot. There, you find two of the strange frog-headed creatures who appear to be standing guard. They are speaking in Undercommon. You ambush them and kill them. During the struggle, three more arrive, but you are able to take care of them as well.

An alarm sounds from somewhere in the mist, possibly from a lake you recall borders Hallein Town. You return to the cart to discover Sharina has left. Orics explains she went to find some friends. The orc prisoner has awakened, but as he refuses to answer any questions, you kill him. A sharp whistle sounds from behind. Captain Quinius, whom you met briefly at the docks in Vigil, is peering out from a nearby building and gesturing for you to come inside. You join him, and he explains the situation.

The frog-people, known locally as skum, came from Lake Encarthan under cover of the fog and attacked the town. He believes they are headed for Vigil next. During this conversation, a group of six skum guards approaches the building. You hide and ambush them as they enter. Thark is knocked unconscious, but you kill them all and Ranna heals Thark after the battle.

You rest until nightfall, then using the cover of night and fog, you locate a dinghy and row out to Quinius’s ship and set sail upriver for Vigil.

You arrive at Vigil just before daybreak and see pillars of smoke rising into the air. You are attacked by several skum, but quickly finish them off and begin to make your way to the Whispering Lodge. You run into a group of orcs along the way, pillaging and burning. You attack and kill them.

When you arrive at the lodge you find the front door barricaded and guarded by a mix of skum and orcs. You attack and defeat them, then lift the barricade. Evni Zongnoss was trapped inside along with several members of the White Lion Relief Corps. She thanks you for your help then asks you to make your way to Watcher’s Tor where where the Precentors Martial are similarly trapped. If they are freed, they and the army trapped within will rout the invading army.

You fight your way to the Tor and come upon a group of 3 skum and 2 orcs. One of the skum wears a robe and wields an orb which appears to be projecting a magical force field upon the gate to Watcher’s Tor. After a fierce battle, you defeat the group and free the trapped soldiers inside.

Veena Heliu, the attractive Precentor Martial of Magic stops briefly to thank you for your efforts and to explain that they will take it from here. True to her word, the invading army is soon routed and sent fleeing back to their homes.

Captain Quinius (male human) – Travels up and down the Path River helping travelers navigate the dangerous trek to and from Vigil.

You take a few days to rest while the city recovers from the attack. Soon, though, you are once again called back to the Whispering Lodge by Evni Zongnoss for another assignment. During the battle, Cassim escaped imprisonment, and was seen traveling with Rashing north toward the Salt Hills. Seven guards were dispatched to track them down, but have not returned or sent any communication. Evni asks you to investigate, and offers to send a local tracker named Shal to help you navigate the difficult terrain. Vale has also hired a Dwarf priestess of Gorum named Ivana to accompany her.

You head out immediately. A few hours into the trip, you spot a large moth-like flying creature with purple wings marked with spiraling black patterns that writhe hypnotically. The creature attacks, releasing pheromones to weaken you, but you’re able to fight it off and send it into retreat.

You continue on, and soon the flat plains give way to rising hills that quickly disappear in a hovering fog. You discover signs covered in thick vegetation labeled “Rookmin”, “Quarry”, and “Mines”, but cannot determine which way they once pointed. Recent tracks suggest the guards passed this way, which you follow.

The tracks lead northeast to a blood-stained area that appears to be the site of a battle, but there are no bodies. The tracks of wolves and humans lead away from the site. You follow the human tracks and come to a camp site. No one is there, but there are several bedrolls, backpacks and other items. You discover a magical amulet and a couple potions.

The strange sounds of sobbing floating upon the wind draw your attention. You follow the sounds of sobbing to a windmill in disrepair seated at the top of a hill. The blades, long fallen to tatters, continue to turn in the wind. The guards’ tracks lead up to the entrance, but only four sets of tracks exit and they appear to have been in a hurry. You enter cautiously, and are greeted with the gruesome sight of four bodies hanging from the rafters. Three are guards from Vigil, but the fourth is the skeleton of a young boy.

A woman screams in terror, and you suddenly witness the boy’s terrible death. You feel drawn to the rafters where an empty noose hangs seemingly waiting for you. You fight off the urge, and instead climb up to cut down the bodies. You bring them outside, burn the bodies and give them a proper burial. These efforts put an end to the strange sobbing, and you return to the campsite to rest for the night.

The next morning you set out after the guards’ tracks. As you climb higher into the hills, the air grows colder, and the fog thicker. Four figures emerge from the mist, pallid and gaunt. Their clothes are torn and blood-soaked, but two carry shields bearing the mark of Vigil. Ivana identifies them as ghouls, and you are forced to fight them. Afterwards, you decide these were likely the four guards who fled the windmill.

Their tracks lead to a cave entrance with a recently broken barrier. You enter, taking a path to the right where three ghouls hunch near a pool of water at the back of a chamber. You fight and destroy them, then turn around and head in the other direction. The next chamber has blue-tinted sand. Thark pokes it with his falchion, and the sand sucks it in. You skirt around the dangerous sand and continue on.

The next chamber contains more ghouls, which you dispatch, and an altar to Erastil. Beyond the altar is a room with statues that throw javelins when you cross in front of them. You slip past them to the last chamber where a pile of debris hides a swarm of centipedes. The swarm pursues you from the room, but Vale is able to block their advance by setting a barrier of burning wood.

You leave the cave and camp for the night. During the night, your camp is attacked. Ivana is dragged off during her watch. Thark’s psi-crystal awakens you, and you quickly pursue. You track down the small, gangly creature with the face of a calf dragging Ivana away. It goes invisible, but reappears when it attacks Alyssa. You converge on the creature and kill it.

You return to your camp and rest the remainder of the night. The following morning, you head back out, following more ghoul tracks. You come across a trail of scorched vegetation leading northwest. You follow these to an old set of mine tracks which come to an end at a cave entrance. The entrance is blocked by an iron door carved with the face of the Green Faith. One eye has an indentation that seems to match Berdred’s missing ring, and there are scratch marks on the door. You decide not to open the door and opt to rest for the night.

Thark, Alyssa, and Ivana begin to show signs of ghoul fever. Shal offers to guide them back to Vigil to be cared for. Alyssa remains, but Thark and Ivana return. You then set out to follow the strange trail of scorched vegetation. The trail leads past a statue of a woman on a horse atop a small tor facing east. She has a sword, and shield and is easily identified as Iomedae. Upon studying the statue, you learn it can be rotated to face northwest, but the significance of this is not immediately clear.

You continue along the trail to the east and come to the ruins of an ancient village. There you discover a strange goat-headed fiery creature digging in the rubble. It attacks, and takes most of the group down before fleeing the area. After catching your breath, you examine the spot where the creature was digging and discover an old map of the region with several locations marked. Upon a nearby stone wall is scrawled the word “Sanctuary”.

Using the map as a guide, you travel northwest until you come to a large ruined structure. An earth elemental appears and seems aggressive until you speak the word “Sanctuary”. You search the area, which appears to be the site of an ancient granite reserve, and discover a cold iron longsword before settling down for the night.

You continue your exploration the next day, and soon come to an area covered in strange dog-like tracks that look somewhat like hands. The tracks lead to a ruined temple where an injured, dog-like creature attacked. You fight and kill the creature, but are unable to identify it. Nearby lies an old man named Nirad who warns the Seal of Perceforest has been opened. He gives you a shield-shaped ring and begs you to travel west to “stop them”, but before he can explain further he succumbs to his injuries. You suspect he may be referring to Rishad.

You travel higher into the hills, following the old man’s directions, and come into an area thick with fog. Here, you find a cave entrance flanked by massive stone skulls and guarded by several of the clone thieves. You fight and dispatch them then enter the cave mouth. Inside you find a chamber filled with a thick, bubbling black liquid. Two more thieves fire at you with crossbows. You take a few hits, but manage to navigate around the bubbling liquid, possibly some kind of tar, and take out the thieves.

The stairs beyond echo with the sounds of stone and metal and end at a chamber with a narrow crevasse and a strange yellow glow. There are elk-like runes drawn on the walls and ceiling. Cassim and 2 more thieves are present. He turns to face you and laughs, mockingly informing you that Rashid has already escaped. You fight Cassim and his thieves, taking many injuries, but ultimately defeating them. You discover upon his person a magical ring that appears to have been the source of the cloned thieves, and a piece of parchment indicating Berdred’s ring was known as the Seal of Morgiana, a vital piece for a ritual used to open an ancient seal. Also in the room is a magic carpet.

Remembering the elk altar at the cave of ghouls you decide to make your back in that direction. Before long, though, you hear the sounds of battle in the distance. You race to investigate and find a paladin engaged in combat with two dark, lanky figures who seem to move impossibly fast. Four soldiers lie dead on the ground. You assist the paladin and help take down the strange creatures. Afterwards, he introduces himself as Brantos Calderon, a paladin of Iomedae from the town of Trunau in Belkzen.

Brantos tracked the creatures from Ghostlight Marsh while investigating rumors of disruptive behavior in the area. Captain Walker, Thark’s mother, is stationed at an outpost there and reported the issues. He agrees to assist you in your search for Rishad, but insists on giving his soldiers a proper burial first. You help him, then rest for the night.

You return to the Elk alter the following morning and give it a thorough search, whereupon you find a ring that matches Berdred’s. On the way up to the sealed door along the mined tracks, Thark rejoins the group having recovered from Ghoul Fever. Using the ring, you open the door, and enter a dimly lit mine. Much of the area seems long deserted and holds little of value. The tracks split into two main directions, both spanning over a deep chasm. The tracks on the right are broken, and you are forced to use the magic carpet to get across, but there is a sealed door and no further exits.

You return to the fork and try the other direction. Looking into the chasm you see dozens of red eyes indicating a large collection of ghouls cling to the walls. Across the chasm you meet a creature you identify as a ghul, a type of undead genie, who introduces himself as Zumurrud, Guardian of the Gate.

Zumurrud was once a member of the Green Faith who trained under Perceforest, an oracle, and worshipped at the Circle of Hierophants far to the north. Deep in the caves of the Circle, they discovered ancient cucurbites that contained the essences of four powerful creatures trapped by a druid named Morgiana. When Perceforest foresaw the fall of Sarkoris, he feared the cucurbites would be discovered and used for evil purpose. He took them, and he and his followers fled south where they enlisted the aid of the druids of the Council of Thorns.

The artifacts were taken deep underground and sealed off just before the Council of Thorns was destroyed by orcs in Ghostlight Marsh. Zumurrud and his followers remained here as guardians, but only he retains the memory of their original purpose. He can sense that someone has bypassed one of the seals, and is on his way to free the dangerous creatures. He hands you the key to the locked gate beyond the chasm and grants you safe passage through his lair in return for your promise to do all you can to stop Rashid.

You take the key and prepare to continue your pursuit. Brantos decides to return to Trunau, and seems discontent to leave the undead creatures alive.

You descend down a narrow, stepped corridor filled with cobwebs. A swarm of spiders attacks and chases you to a webbed cavern where two large spiders leap from the darkness. Vale burns the swarm while the rest of you deal with the spiders then you continue through the winding caverns until you come to a platform overlooking a large cavern. A narrow stone bridge crosses a deep cavern, and here you battle and defeat several ghouls.

Beyond the bridge is more corridors. You follow these for several hours before finally reaching a door with adorned with the Eye of Aroden. After picking the lock, you move forward into a chamber with three arched doorways, each with a different symbol. You choose the doorway marked with a demonic skull pierced by four swords and enter a large arena with several columns. At the top of each column is an object protected by an electrical field.

Three creatures appear: a vicious-looking snake creature, a large feathered bird, and a dark unicorn-like creature. As you fight and defeat each one, new versions appear. One by one you manage to fly or climb your way up the pairs of columns, and as you retrieve the items on top the creatures disappear. The fourth item proves to be a Medal of Valor.

You returned to the previous chamber and pass through the archway marked by castle surrounded by a field of flowers. This leads to an area with a large capstan and a bronze statue on either side. The statues represent tall goblets adorned with jewels. The balcony above is adorned with several gargoyles. You turn the capstones, and the room begins to fill with water and dangerous vipers. Turning the capstone again causes the room to go dark. Once the water was high enough to fill the goblet statues, a platform lowered from the ceiling. From here, you retrieved another Medal of Vigor, then reversed the flow of water and returned to the previous chamber.

You pass through the final archway, this one bearing the symbol of demonic face surrounded by three swords. Here, you stop onto a wide ledge overlooking a deep chasm. Six platforms float above the chasm, three on each side of a narrow rotating bridge. On the far side is a ledge with a white pedestal. After a few attempts to cross, you figure out that having people stand on each pair of platforms stops the rotation of each section of bridge. Once solved, you cross the chasm and retrieve a Medal of Agility.

Back in the chamber with the three doorways, you search the room for additional exits. Finding none, you place each of the three medals you earned in their respective slots revealing a previously hidden door. You pass through the door into a large chamber flanked by stores of gold and jewels. An ivory pedestal adorns the center of the chamber and four stark black statues stand watch between the alcoves.

Vale picks up a coin from the nearest pile of treasure, and instantly the door you came through slams shut and the four statues come to life. You battle the statues for a time, but soon determine they are there to guard the treasure. Vale returns the coin, and the statues retreat to their stations. You then examine the pedestal which appears to have recently had something removed. Footprints lead away from the pedestal to a door at the far end of the chamber.

You follow the trail out to a ledge over-looking a massive chamber dominated by a black, domed structure. A pair of equine statues flank the strange structure and two brass-colored towers rise up from the far end. The faint whispers of song filter through the air. You climb down a two-hundred foot ledge to the floor below where the sound of the song intensifies. Several of your party are drawn to the music and begin walking toward recessed ladders on the side of the structure. Vale acts quickly to counter the mesmerizing effects. A quick examination suggests those affected were being drawn up the tall ladder where they would then take a long fall on the other side. The music appears to be coming from harpy-like creatures at the tops of the ladders.

You continue on to one of the statues. It is of a woman on a horse holding aloft a shield emblazoned with Iomedae’s upside down symbol. Thark investigates the shield and discovers he can rotate it to face upright. He does this, then you proceed to the two towers which are connected by a strong gate seemingly made of gold and bearing no obvious method of opening. There is a single door in each tower, and one of them is open. You search inside and discover a control panel. Realizing this must be the method for opening the gate, and that a similar panel likely exists in the other tower, one of you goes off to rotate the shield on the other statue. This opens the other tower’s door and you are able to use both control panels to open the gate.

You pass through the gates and into a garden pathway which leads to an oddly shaped structure which seemed have a central chamber with seven smaller structures coming off it. An archway provides entry into a foyer adorned with two black statues of a man on a rearing horse. Emitting from the mouths of each horse is a purple beam of light, one pale and one dark. The beams meet in the center of the ceiling, twin together, then shoot through the open doorway at the back of the chamber. You search the statues and discover small keyholes in the chest of each horse.

You pass through the door into a circular corridor which runs around a central area currently surrounded by a shimmering wall of rainbow colors. The purple beam of light appears to be feeding this wall, as well as several other colored beams of light emanating from other chambers. You examine each chamber. Two of them are libraries that have recently been disturbed. Books lie scattered upon the floors and tables of each. The other chambers appear to be lecture halls, containing ornate statues and lecterns, some of which you are able to activate and produce a recorded image of a lecture. The statues are as follows:

In one of the libraries, you examine a mural of seven Dwarves and discover seven keys. You use these keys on each of seven statues scattered throughout the circular hall and entry foyer. This removes the beams of light and drops the prismatic wall. On the other side you discover a chamber with four hooded statues holding large vessels shaped like cucurbites surround a central pool of clear blue water, and chains hanging from the ceiling.

Rashid is here, and is chanting in an arcane language while a swirl of wind surrounds him. Nearby is a creature twice as tall as a human with a tail that twists into a vortex of wind. The floating creature, a genie you think, attacks. Rashid continues his ritual, and you notice smoke billowing up from two of the vessels. Vale magically suggests to Rashid that he stop and continue the ritual later. This seems to work, and you battle the genie and wizard together, ultimately taking them down.

After the fight, you examine the vessels. As expected, two of them are cracked and whatever was inside have escaped, but two remain intact. You gather some treasure, rest, and return to Zumurrud’s lair. You tell him what happened, and he informs you the Harbingers of Pestilence and War have been freed by minions of the Fable Master. You then return to Vigil, and report to Evni your discoveries.

Shal – A tracker who accompanied you to the Salt Hills.

Nirad – An old man discovered in the Salt Hills who warned the Seal of Perceforest has been opened and provided you with a special ring.

Brantos Calderon – A paladin of Iomedae from Trunau sent to investigate strange rumors from Ghostlight Marsh. Tracked fey creatures to the Salt Hills. His soldiers were all killed. After he assisted you in tracking Rashid, he returned to Trunau.

Zumurrud – King of the ghouls and Guardian of the Gate who guards the entrance to Perceforest’s Tomb.